Room to grow: Bringing Scouting to the Hispanic community

According to the 2010 Census, 16.3 percent of U.S. citizens are of Hispanic or Latino origin.

In the BSA, the proportion is much lower. Hispanic youth account for just 6.8 percent of all members.

I see that discrepancy as a challenge to volunteers and professionals at the national, council, district, and unit levels to continue to grow the Scouting program in the Hispanic community. You can make a difference; read on to find out how.

First, it’s worth mentioning that the BSA is already making great strides in this area. This page of Spanish-language materials shows the BSA’s commitment, as do the Spanish edition of the BSA Handbook, released in 2009, and the continued efforts of the BSA’s excellent Membership Impact department.

Current statistics are promising, too. Nationwide, Hispanic membership in Scouting is up 3.4 percent from a year ago.

The trend will continue, with some researchers estimating that nearly a quarter of U.S. citizens will be of Hispanic origin by 2050 or sooner.

The challenge is magnified further in Western and Southern states. In Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas, Hispanics account for more than 20 percent of the total population.

OK, the facts are clear, but how do you make a difference in your community?

I’ve praised the Philmont Training Center before, calling it a prime spot for a family summer vacation. But it’s also the ideal location for a conference focused on the Hispanic/Latino American community. Especially when you consider that New Mexico has a higher percentage of Hispanic residents (46.3) than any other state.

Here’s some info on the conference:

The challenges

The 2012 Membership Impact Conference will delve into the challenges Scouters face when recruiting in the Hispanic community, including:

Limited Scouting family legacy

Lack of financial resources

Language barriers

The topics

To overcome these challenges, the conference will cover:

How to work with faith-based Hispanic/Latino American organizations for new-unit growth, youth membership, and volunteer recruitment

Successful Scouting best methods and approaches in the Hispanic/Latino American community

Marketing to your Hispanic/Latino American communities

Financing your Hispanic/Latino American market share

Resources available in Spanish designed to support English/Spanish-speaking volunteers and staff

Related

Important elements of traditional Scouting have their origins in Baden-Powell’s experiences in education and military training. He was a 50-year-old retired army general when he founded Scouting, and his revolutionary ideas inspired thousands of young people, from all parts of society, to get involved in activities that most had never contemplated.

There is a difference in finding an opportunity to expand scouting than it is to give preferential tratment to certain groups. What scouting is doing now is giving preferential treatment. When stats are used to make us seem like we do not care and have something for which we must apologize. Anyone want to start a scout troop can simply go find an entity to sponcer the troop then go out and recruit leadership and the scouts. In this day and time I will say without reservation that all involved had better be in this country legally or the total meaning of scouting becomes one big hypocrasy. What say you Texas?

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Bryan on Scouting is the official blog of Scouting magazine, a Boy Scouts of America publication. Scouting magazine is published five times a year and is received by 1 million registered adult volunteers.